amaryllis

High school was when I first developed my love for amaryllis bulbs.

I penned the song “My name is Amaryllis and I am a bulb.” The tune was simple, and I still sing it.

This morning I was preparing for the best weekend of the year (Good Friday through Easter Morn). I was rummaging through the pantry, looking for a place to let something dry where a toddler couldn’t see it when I discovered an amaryllis bulb on the top shelf of the pantry. I had carefully left it there, on its side, in the dark, last year.

If you do that with these bulbs, they grow again each year and sprout fabulously large, stunning, bright flowers that remind us that yes, God loves beauty way more than we do. This stunning plant changes your home for a few weeks each year.

Amaryllis’ only shoot up one stalk every year. From that stalk comes several large flowers.

But the bulb was not in good sorts of any kind.

The bulb had already started to sprout this large stalk. I had forgotten about it, and, on time, it was crying out for sunlight, food, and water. And the worst part about it (besides it’s curved pale stalk from lack of light) was that in the process of its growth, it was cutting its stalk on a sharp edge in the pantry.

I rushed and cut holes in the bottom of our Trader Joes animal crackers’ plastic tub, filled it with dirt, mashed in some water, and found a spot in the house with sunlight. So there it sits, with a gaping hole in its lifeblood, on our chest freezer.

I actually cried.

If it blooms, I’ll post a picture.

This is Easter week- the best week of the year, and I’ve only begun preparing my heart since last night. I have been so forgetful- both with my amaryllis and much more with preparing to remember Christ’s sacrifice. God has this riveting beauty about him that can change our homes forever. I’ve just been letting it sit in a dark room.

This certainly isn’t the first year that I’ve found myself so irresponsible with God.
Praise God for His grace. May you remember Him.

Abby

Vienna

Otts

Pennsylvania

We've got some great pics from PA to share. We think Ryan took the one above.



More to come!

Sun

We did it. We broke out the off-brand glass cleaner and attacked the porch. Mom vacuumed. I swept. And then came the vitamin D. I soaked it in like a snake on a rock. Mom closed her eyes, leaning against the door frame.


Clay slept inside. . .


This one below is mom's fav.

Freedom

Truth be told: Usually mum helps me with the camera. But this post is all my own.



This video is all mine too. I call it "Pot and Ball." I think you'll note the artistry immediately.

Let's Eat Cake

Mom and the cake book she got for Christmas from the Bownes:
She's thinking "Oh! Let us make some cake!"

And here is the recipe she decided on:


In an effort to try something new (we all must live eh) she did, in fact, try the recipe that included five eggs, almonds, semolina flour, figs, limes, and sesame seeds. . .
Now Mum says "Next time, I'll go with a different one." "We'll let the Turkish tastebuds eat that cake."

We did try "Whipped Cream Cheesecake" from this book already and oh man, that was the best cheesecake this toddler has ever dreamed of.

Maybe next time

Forget the dentist- I'm still too wacked out with a cold.
This cold is a serious one. Perhaps more than a cold?

Ah, the Dentist

Tomorrow Dad is taking me to the dentist.

Elmo is helping me out: http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player/-/pgpv/videoplayer/0/20d26ed1-157d-11dd-9bc7-777dea8a73e7/if_elmo_had_teeth

Toddlerhood

Toddlerhood: a crash course on the human psyche

Have you hugged your fire hydrant today?

If you spend any time around young children, you are familiar with the thought "Oh man, I sure wish I had my camera on me right now."

Today Mum took Clay and I for a walk (it was snowing and windy) around the block. It was so very cold, but I am rather tough I think and Clay's baby fat will keep him warm. We trekked, we trekked. . . bundled. Mom makes me wear these mittens that are so big I can't get my thumb in the thumb-spot. Actually, I don't even know that mittens have thumb-spots. I wear Dad's winter had too, that Swarty made. Mum rolls the lip up thick so it doesn't fall over my eyes. It still does anyway, but I like not seeing wear I am going.

We made it around the block twice (I had to coax mom at one point and then she had to coax me at another) but we did make it.

When I turned the last corner and we were in the homestretch to our apartment, I saw this big, beautiful , recently-painted, bright red fire hydrant. I just couldn't resist giving it a big hug. Mom was laughing pretty hard, so I kept on hugging.

Let it not be said that only dogs give fire hydrants attention.
I hugged that hydrant so long that it hugged me back.

May you get a good hug today and may you give one too!

The Clayster at almost 3 Months Old

BBQ Sauce

I try not to give much advice over the blog. Most things in life wax and wane with the best of us and we are all certainly learning as we go. I think advice is similar to Barbecue sauce. Most of us like it at one point or another, but we certainly don't want it everyday for dinner.

So, with a chunk of humility, I'd like to throw out some information for the women who read this who plan on having babies in the future.

When Sim was a baby, I missed this boat. I sure wish I would have known about the simply order listed below.

Here it is!
1. When the baby nurses or bottle feeds, don't let them fall asleep while eating.
1a. Make sure the baby eats well- assuring that you won't need to feed them until the next feeding time.
2. After the baby eats, keep them up for a bit.
3. Then, after the kiddo has been up for (minutes as a newborn, about an hour for a 3-month old) simply bundle the kiddo up and lay them down in their crib. They will learn to fall asleep on their own.

With Simeon, I didn't realize what a predictable schedule most children can have at this young age. This simple instruction has made my life so much more peaceful and predictable with Clay. He can fall asleep on his own. This tool he has helps him sleep through the night.
-abby